Vic Eliason still remembers the exact spot on the floor where he stood with three students in 1961, praying for a miracle…

"We prayed on that spot on a Friday, believing that if God wanted us to have air time, He would have to provide it," Eliason recalled. "On Monday, the door slammed open and a man I had never seen before asked, ‘Could anybody here use some free air time?’"

That was just the beginning of a life of miracles. On another occasion Eliason was involved with trying to purchase their first radio station -a 100,000-watt station evaluated at $465,000 even though the ministry "didn’t have a dime":

"The bank said they’d look it over, to see if it would be wise for us to take on that size of an expansion. And not only did the bank suggest it was a good idea, but they also said, ‘The people you reach are your greatest resource. We urge you to do it. How much do you have to put down?’

"I went like this," Eliason said, holding his forefinger to his thumb in the shape of a zero. "’Well,’ the bank said, ‘I guess we’ll have to write your whole check.’"

Eliason could only shake his head, saying, "To God be the glory."

From there the ministry -VCY America, has grown to operate nearly 30 Christian radio stations across the mid-west and provide on-air content for dozens more.

Response: Just a good story to remind all of us in the middle of a major recession that God is still in the miracle business. Whether you are starting a ministry or a business in his name.

Thousands of ministries and churches across America got started with miracles of their own and in today’s recession keep on keeping on depending on God’s alternative kingdom economy.

This well could be the finest hour of the American church where everyone must turn to God in a new way just to pay the bills. But not only that, we are called to expand and take the Gospel to every nation. That is going to take a bunch of miracles, but Praise the Lord he is still in that business.            *Top

Related Posts?:

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He points out that the American church has not really turned to God in a disparate way, that the circumstances may call for more radical responses on our part.

Personally looking over the history of our land, there has never been a time when so many major natural disasters have stricken this country in so short a period of time. Then we are in the midst of 2 1/2 wars while our economy is at its worst point in last 70 years or an entire generation.

What does the future hold?

We are preparing for the worse both naturally and economically out here in California. Too many words have come our way to ignore the possibilities of major trouble. However we are also expecting and hoping for revival in the midst of it all.

How are we to respond? Radical prayer is in order. Read the suggestions for responses to differing situations in Goll’s article: “Responding to the Times”

Related Posts?:

1. -California: Everything That Can Be Shaken…
2. -8.9 a Sign of the Times?

                     (Image via Wikipedia)

Every once in a while J. Lee Grady comes out with an article that hits it right on the head. In this one he says that we need to get back to Jesus and the Bible like those simple days of the ‘Jesus People’ movement of the 70’s. Well worth a read:  “We Need Another Jesus Movement”

Here is where he hits us hard:

The Jesus movement was primarily focused on—surprise!—Jesus. Theology was not complicated, pastors weren’t trying to be hip or sophisticated or tech-savvy; and we hadn’t yet created a Christian subculture with its own celebrities and political power bases.

… In my travels this past year I’ve been horrified to learn that many Spirit-filled believers have given up the discipline of reading their Bibles even semi-regularly. They prefer a steady diet of culturally relevant, fast-paced, techno-theology that is a poor substitute for discipleship.

Many charismatics have developed the attitude that a simple focus on Christ isn’t enough. We’d rather go to a “prophetic encounter” to hear what Obama’s chances are in 2012, or experience some exotic spiritual manifestation (gold dust, gems falling out of the ceiling), or ask Rev. Flash-in-the-Pan to pray for us for the sixteenth time so we can receive yet another “special anointing” that we will probably never use.

In the midst of all this charismatic gobbledygook, where is Jesus? Am I the only one out there who is weary of this distraction?

Response: Amen!

I remember the Jesus people movement well and I live 15 miles from where it all started and still see the effects of it.  I go to a church that traces its beginning in the midst of it with a bunch of folks that came to Jesus then and part of a movement that started in the aftermath.

All of us look fondly back on those days when the Holy Spirit fell upon a bunch of hippies and college students in Orange County California and did a sovereign work that is still on-going.

God raised up a bunch of uneducated nobodies and turned them into Bible teachers and mega-pastors. The Holy Spirit fell upon a bunch of hippies and students and instilled in them the notion that everybody gets to play and all are called to minister. Plus he called forth a bunch of musicians who demonstrated that guitars and contemporary music could be used to worship God and bless people in the name of Jesus Christ.

For us the message that Grady brings is an admonition to return to our first love- Jesus. Then let the heavens open once more and transform a new generation and another half a million or so folks in Southern California and eventually touch millions of folks from sea to shining sea.

Here’s a timely article by J.Lee Grady: “The Fire of Holiness vs. the Spirit of Perversion”

Starts out this way:

“Moral failure in our ranks has become an epidemic—and the only solution is a heaven-sent spiritual housecleaning.”

<<Read the Rest>>

(Jordan River via Wikipedia)

This morning at the Marketplace Prayer Group the Holy Spirit showed me a picture of the Lord slaying giants.

The theme of the morning was ‘crossing over Jordan’. there was a sense that many of us there this morning were on the bring of being able to cross over into ‘the promise land’ in our jobs, businesses, and ministries.

The vision originally came in response to one particular brother who had been experiencing health and financial issues and at the same time had received miraculous provision.

However also during that time he had received numerous words that seemed almost ridiculous in the face of what he was currently facing yet the lord this morning was confirming the validity of all of the incredible words for future business and ministry he had received.

While meditating on the vision I believe that the Lord told me that it was also for everyone there and the American church in general.

Many of us have been facing ‘giants’ standing in the way of fulfilling the visions and calling that the Lord has given us over the years. Sometimes those words seem almost ridiculous in the face of all of the challenges that we are personally facing.

Many of us have been looking for and praying for revival in America. Now is the time to cross over and receive it. Now is the time to step forward in faith. It is time to stop looking at all of the ‘giants in the land’ and the reasons it can’t be done. The Lord himself is slaying all of the giants standing in the way. Praise God! 

John 4:34-36
35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
NIV

On Saturday while I was praying the Lord showed me a golden field of grain that was ripe and ready to harvest. Then the scripture above came to mind along with the words:

–This is the day of your visitation don’t miss it.

I meditated and prayed over the meaning and timing of the word and the following clearly came to me:

-Reap Now! Don’t wait for revival.

I believe that this is a word particularly for the American and Western church. Revival is already going on nearly everywhere else—Africa, India, China, and even hidden revivals in North Korea, Iran, and all over the Middle East. There is a great world-wide harvest going on everywhere but in America and the West.

Many of us have been praying for revival with the perspective that once it came then there would be a great harvest and untold thousands would accept Jesus and turn the whole country around. But now I believe that the Lord is telling us to begin the Harvest and not to wait for revival. The fields are ready right now.

Now is the time to bear your testimony and tell folks about how Jesus has blessed your life.

Now is the time to pray for that sick neighbor.

Now is the time to demonstrate the Love of God that passes all human understanding to everyone around you.

Now is the time to reach out to all those unsaved relatives that you have been praying about for years.

Now is the time to teach your children about Jesus.

Now is the time to lead your adult children back to Christ.

Now is the time to teach your grandchildren about the Good News.

Now is the time to encourage that fellow worker that is depressed and tired of living.

Now is the time for all of the servants of Jesus to begin an all out harvest and signs, wonders, miracles, and healings will follow.

In the midst of it all we will realize that revival has come and it won’t be just another ‘feel-good’ time at church. This revival is destined to be in the marketplace, in the schools, on the job, at the malls, in the neighborhoods, on mainstreet, in the ghetto, and at Wal-Mart too.

 -Reap now and revival will come.

*Top

(Image by wallyg via Flickr)

There is major shaking going on economically and politically in the World. We are in the midst of a major re-alignment of World power and leadership.

Just today came the word that China had passed Japan as having the 2nd largest economy behind the USA. Meanwhile the USA is in decline and many are predicting that China will pass up the United States before the decade is finished.

Also today came the word from a number of different sources that it would be best if Israel attacked Iran in the next 3 days before their Nuclear plant comes on line. Otherwise the fallout could affect the entire region. Time to obviously pray for the leaders of Israel and the USA.

Meanwhile the Church itself is going through a major shaking. In America there are signs that unless we have a major revival Christians will become a minority in this country in one generation. I believe that revival is in the works. However a small revival would not be enough to reverse the trend. Therefore the church should be praying for a move of God that goes way beyond all of our greatest expectations.

Here’s a word from Barbara Yoder that is basically telling us not to fear the shaking but to go with it:  “There Is a Rumbling in the Earth!”

I found the following parts right on and particularly helpful:

There is a rumbling in the earth. God is rumbling you out of mindsets, positions, identity, locations, relationships, bondages, fears.  …

There is a rumbling that has already started in the heavens. But the Lord would declare to you that the rumbling is also now on earth under the feet of leaders, for He is calling us out of the old, out of the past, out of that which would trap us in nonproductivity and irrelevancy, to reposition us for the future. And we will not only look spiritually different, we will not look the same physically—the way we have in the past—for we have entered a season of massive change.

"Fear not the rumbling, for I will shake you out of the systems and paradigms that have held the church captive and I will cause you to be poured out in a whole new way to the world. I am shaking the church and I am shaking the world. The rumbling will not soon disappear, until it has accomplished its full work to shake the church and to shake the world. For I will have a meeting place with My people, and what is left when the rumbling is done will be a people who release the kingdom of God on earth. And the church will be poured out into the world." (See Hebrews 12.)

<Read the whole message>            *Top

“We have witnessed unprecedented flooding, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, including the erupting of a volcano that shut down most of Europe’s air travel. We have seen a historic oil spill threatening our coastlines and economic systems; massive earthquakes; tsunamis; wars; severe rioting; political unrest; economic turmoil and terrorists bent on killing masses.

Nations are in an uproar! What in the world is going on?”

Response: This is a question that many of us have been asking lately. At first it all seemed to be just a series of unrelated happenings and maybe some of them are just that . However, as these extreme events begin to pile up many are seeing the entire world turned upside down physically, economically, and politically.

It is no longer possible to ignore that something major is going on and changes are happening to our world that will change it for ever. Meanwhile the gospel is reaching nations and peoples in places where it has never been before. What is God’s message for his people and his church today in the midst of these chaotic times? According to Cindy deVille:

“The church can—and must—be ready for the days ahead!”

<<Read the rest of her message>>           *Top

Last Sunday I was praying about revival in America just like I have for nearly every day since 2001 when the Lord gave me a vision of it. I was in the process of asking ‘when’ but really sort a demanding ‘now’ when the Lord flashed in my mind a picture of a great army slowly rising from the dust—kind a like Ezekiel. Then He reminded me of what was happening at my home church lately with folks getting saved and healed at every service and said—“if this happened 5 years ago you would be excited and think that you were in the midst of a revival”.

It is so true. Why didn’t I see it!

Is is like the proverbial frog getting gradually warmed up in a pot of water. We have seen a very gradual increase in those getting saved and healed but now it is becoming far more obvious and cannot be ignored. The point is—it didn’t happen over night and that was what I was expecting revival to be like. It would be wonderful if this just kept on getting better.

I was reminded of an article in Charisma from 2007 about the revival culture at Bill Johnson’s church in Redding California. Bill said this about his own church and Revival:

“…revival is like a big, ripe, red apple, I came back realizing ours is 100 percent apple but not fully developed yet. Everything is there [at Bethel]. It’s just smaller.”

“[Revival is] happening, It’s just on a small scale. People are asking for something to happen that’s already been released, and you have to cooperate with what He’s already given.”

What marks the rising of this gradual revival army is the fact that everyone who wants too gets to join and everyone gets to go to battle and everyone gets to play. It isn’t based upon a handful of specially anointed leaders. It is all about the entire body of Christ rising up from the dust and becoming alive and corporately doing the works of Jesus and even greater.

What is happening at VCC Laguna Niguel is a small example of what I am talking about. Every service Pastor Mike Hudgins calls out for those who are sick in the body to stand up. Usually he will also call out specific illnesses but then instructs the members in the congregation to pray for anyone close by who is standing for healing.

There are no folks in this church with a specific healing anointing but people who are sick of all sorts of diseases are getting healed at every service. The faith of the entire church is rising up in the gift of healing so much that many members are now encouraged to pray for friends and folks at work who are sick. Now testimonies are coming back of folks being healed at work, at school, and even at Wal-Mart. The youth groups are particularly on fire.

It may not be full blown revival but it is getting there and the whole church gets to play.            *Top

Looking at the news can be a scary prospect lately. I see that Greece, Portugal, and Spain were about to go down the tubes over the last weekend and take the Euro and the entire European Community with them. The USA put up another Trillion Dollars that we really don’t have to keep the entire world financial system from collapsing like dominos starting with Greece. Something the American media really didn’t cover.

Meanwhile, the news media in America keeps on trying to convince us all that the economy is improving and makes it sound like the current 9.9% unemployment rate is actually ‘good news’ with folks going back to work—dutifully following the Monday morning talking points memo supplied by the Obama Administration. The dirty little secret is that unemployment is actually closer to 18% as the government takes those who haven’t gotten a job after 6 months off the list.

The word I keep on hearing from the Lord personally and from others prophetically is that now is a time of new and greater opportunity for God’s people.

I ask the Lord—How can you call this a time of ‘opportunity’ when my business is so bad I wonder if I’ll be able to pay all my bills at the end of every month. Then the Spirit reminded me that over the last year I have received just enough income to cover it all. Sometimes it really has taken a miracle to get it done.

Right now we have one of our adult children along with two grandchildren living with us so our expenses are far greater than they were a couple of years ago and our income is far less. Originally we had planned to retire this year but now that is entirely out of the question.

Yet when I attended our weekly Marketplace Prayer meeting this morning at VCC, the word that kept on coming up in everyone’s testimony or prophetic word was ‘opportunity’. When I thought about it later the Lord reminded me of Joseph and how he had prophetically turned disaster into opportunity. How his family was saved from famine and the entire nation of Egypt. Not only that, they ended up prospering in the midst of disaster.

That is what the Lord intends for his faithful people in America—to prosper in the midst of disaster. However, sometimes the Lord’s idea of prospering can be somewhat different than how we may picture it. Nevertheless it is all good.

Then the Lord reminded me of what was happening at my home church. Over 80 folks have come to Christ in the last month at Vineyard Community Church and just this week our Pastor took a team to India and around 20,000 were saved in a 3 day conference and thousands were healed.

Now for me that is a real sign confirming that He really does intend to expand our opportunities and to prosper us both in the Spiritual realm and in the Natural–even in the midst and on the brink of disaster.            *Top